Mentor Biography

Hi there! My name is Aranza Perez Najul. I’m a sophomore Mechanical Engineering major. I graduated from Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School. My favorite classes at UCF thus far have been my math classes, as I enjoy the content and have gotten to build great connections with them. My favorite instructor is Gayathri Krishnan because she is very personable and deeply cares for your learning and well-being (she’s funny too, but don’t tell her I said that). I decided to join the COMPASS program because I knew I wanted to pursue engineering, but I wasn’t sure what branch I was most passionate about. The COMPASS program would provide me with the necessary resources to make an educated decision that was reflective of my interests. A word of advice to incoming EXCEL/COMPASS freshmen is to take advantage of the EXCEL center, as you get to clarify academic questions from tutors, as well as get acquainted with your fellow STEM peers. When I’m not focused on schoolwork or academics, I like to go rock-climbing with my friends, play guitar and enjoy music, and Latin dancing in social gatherings.